Arthur dear boy
by The lovable writer
Summary: A somewhat odd story I wrote one night on the topic of the Eames/Arthur relationship. Set before, during and after Inception. Please read, review and enjoy.


_**Chris Nolan and Warner Bro's own Inception, I merely look on in awe at what he is capable of creating, and occasionally try and write a fan-fic about it.**_

"Alright lads, I'll be crawling under a rock for the next couple of years if it's alright with you." Eames remarked, deadpan

Arthur looked at Eames. The collection of guns from their recently accepted employer had been disturbing. So had the man being taken away as they entered. He hadn't made a sound but somehow Arthur suspected the man couldn't. But this was common place for them, from a professional stand point, they never had to worry. Eames just never liked to get himself in that much of a professional stand point, it got in the way of the fun he liked to have.

"The job is simple..." Cobb began.

"On paper yes. But unfortunately my current actions have nothing to do with the job, it's our employers. As you have mentioned many times in defence of your current lifestyle, there aren't a lot of job opportunities for people such as ourselves, and with this... this..."

"Specificity." Arthur

"Thank you for reminding us how boring you are Arthur. With this specificity of profession, comes a specificity of employers, namely the rich decedent sociopath who see's human life as expendable and the destruction of one as humorous merriment."

Arthur sighed inside. Another jab from Eames. The pair had made a hobby of being at each others throats. When Eames wasn't flirting at least. Eames was all over the place, all the time, one moment giving off any reason to avoid danger in the wittiest way possible, the next handling entire armies in battle. Arthur didn't need anyone that crazy in his life.

But maybe did he need someone that exciting.

"You're already committed to this job, you can't just leave us like this." Cobb persisted.

"Like you said, the job is simple, you'll find a way. Consider me an unneeded coward about to waste a few years of his life on frivolous amusements."

And with that, Eames walked away, and for some reason Arthur decided that he should follow him. Maybe he didn't want him out of his life just yet.

**A little while later...**

Eames was packing. Arthur glanced at some of the things being tossed into the suit case and was reminded why no one could be sure just what preferences he had in term of romance. It was a long running mystery, a long running bet amongst the team. He had put $10 on gay. Cobb has $15 on just being very English.

He quickly decided to turn his attention away from the various items of a sexual nature and back to Eames. What was the right thing to say? "Don't go." No, he didn't care that much. And he didn't want to ask him if he was sure about going and imply "Don't go." in the process. This was a person he really didn't mind seeing the back of.

Than why was he even here?

"You know for someone who's critical of my vocabulary, you don't mind throwing "frivolous merriment" and "decedent sociopath" into the conversation." Arthur commented.

Continue the bickering, that was the best of his many bad options for things to say.

"I'm an eccentric Englishman, it's part of my charm darling, you're just boring, while I'm away, work on that one."

"While you're away?" Arthur asked.

"The money I currently have wont support my accustomed lifestyle for very long, a few years, several years at the maximum. Than I can return to our merry little team, and everyone can go back to wondering whether I'm gay or not." Eames dryly summarised. "Oh, did I forget to mentioned I knew all about those bets Arthur dear boy. Well, let me say it's good to see you take an interest in me, but as for the truth, well, me to know, you to find out and the rest."

And with his packing finished, Eames decided to walk out of Arthur's life, for better or worse. Arthur wasn't sure which.

**A few years or several years later at the maximum, in the midst of the Inception job...**

Arthur recognised the face as he woke up from teaching Ariadne. Precision stubble. Arrogant expression. The most expensive clothes possible worn in the most casual way. He was back again. And he was probably going to make a joke about waking up next to him.

"Don't worry, you haven't died and gone to heaven, you've just waking up to me, it's a common misconception." Eames said with a roguish smirk.

Arthur still knew him well. Eames was always going to be one of the weirdest people he ever met in a line of business that supposedly valued a certain degree of professionalism. Whether that was a good thing or not Arthur had yet to figure out. And he was quite sure he didn't want to figure it out.

"You're back then." Arthur replied, annoyed he couldn't think of some better reply.

"And warm greetings from myself too." Eames replied.

For a second the pair continued to look at each other. Than Arthur realised he wasn't comfortable staying in this position, Eames standing over him while he lay out in front of him. His mind was already suppressing those thoughts he really didn't want to dwell upon. He got up, trying to get on his feet as fast as possible without showing he was trying to be fast, and certainly without showing he was thinking about any of that. He didn't want Eames knowing he was thinking this stuff through. He might come to conclusions before Arthur knew what the conclusions were himself.

But Ariadne had noticed.

"Do you two..." she began.

"No." Arthur replied, this time almost certainly a little to quick.

But Eames had had his fun and was already walking away, though preparing for a final remark, determined to always leave on a high note.

"As always I look forward to your condescension and general boringness. Unless you've taken my advice and worked on that boring bit in my absence." Eames said with a nod so polite you would almost think he meant it.

"Not just yet, I'd actually like to make it out of this job alive, or have you forgotten about why you left?" Arthur replied, continuing the verbal Tennis.

"Oh absolutely."

And as Eames left, Arthur suddenly came to the shocking realisation that not only did he not mind this banter, he actually quite enjoyed it from a man as stupid as Eames.

**The aftermath of Operation Inception**

The job was over. Maybe the whole Dream-Invasion part of Arthur's career was over. He wondered that maybe, after today, perhaps it was for the best. No more trying to be a professional in a job that always ended up destroying any pretence of it. It had been close. And surprisingly Eames had actually proved himself competent. More than just a pretty face.

"A thought occurs, I don't actually have anywhere to stay in America. Mind if I tag along with you." Eames said, emerging from behind Arthur as they left the airport.

"O.K., job is over. Cobb is out. So consider this one moment where I'm going to drop my professionalism to talk to you. Are you gay? And are you going to keep this flirtation up, and if so, until what?"

Eames paused for a second, not immediately saying the first thing that came to mind, which might as well be the closest he would come to speaking from the heart.

"Maybe I just really enjoy our relationship and have no idea what I want from it, just that it really needs to continue for the good of both of us."

Arthur sighed as Eames went to call them a taxi. It was definitely Stockholm syndrome. He really had began to tolerate him over those years of working with him. He'd let him tag along, and let him make life slightly more interesting. He had know plans on letting it go any further, but than again he'd never intended to let Eames get this far, so as Arthur stepped into the taxi with Eames, he wondered...

...was all this just a dream.

******O.K**, I don't know what I just wrote, I just knew I had a lot of that stuff in my head and felt I should just write it down. So there, I hope you enjoyed the story.


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